Protocol for Working Online Successfully
A free-flowing exchange of ideas is imperative for the learning process. With that in mind, I suggest the following to help with our social interactions in this class:
 | always put your name in the body of the message; | |
| in the subject line, make sure to put an accurate description of the topic of the message; | |
| if you want immediate attention, note that on the subject line; | |
| make sure you have addressed your message correctly; | |
| reread your message before you send it, as you cannot take back a retort; | |
| if you are bothered by something that someone has said, don't respond immediately -- wait until you can give an intelligent response rather than an emotional one; |
| keep your messages to no more than one screen's length, in other words, no more than two or three paragraphs, as long rambling messages are hard to manage; | |
| write concisely, messages that are short and to the point will be appreciated by everyone; | |
| use the golden rule: do unto others...; | |
| don't ridicule someone else's ideas; | |
| ask for clarification if something is said that offends you--since we have no verbal cues, we often "misread", so don't lash out; | |
| don't write anything you wouldn't say to another person's face. |
Use "smilies" to help clarify your meaning. Smilies are small facial expressions you can create with keyboard characters to show the emotion behind your words. You read smilies by tipping your head to the left. For example:
:-) is a smiling face; the colon is the eyes, dash the nose, and parenthesis a smile.
;-) is a wink and smile
:-( is a frown
:-0 is surprise
Share your ideas and your thoughts--all we have in a virtual class are the words we put on the page. If you do not contribute, we miss opportunities for communication. Each of us has a wealth of experience to add to our community; if someone sits out, the rest of us lose an opportunity for learning. Do your part to make this a vital experience!
